Attachment for preventing telescoping of cars.



Fannie HEDLELLOF NEwYonn, N. Y.. f

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-ATTAGHMNT son Pnnvnncrme -'sanascosrivs' on sans.

Speoication of Lettere Eatent.

.Patented oct. i, i907.

. Application hermanita 1o, wat. timestamps?.

To all whom 'it may-concern:

United Statesfresiding in New York,.county of New York` and State of.NewYork, have made a certain new.

Be it known that I, FRANK HED'LEY, a, citizen of the and usefulInvention in Attachments for Preventing ".lelescoping ofCars, .Theinvention relates to attachments for preventing- I Athe telescoping ofcars in collision 'or other accidents.

The object-of the invention is to provide an attachment which is simplein construction, economical in manufacture and efficient operation andwhich can bereadilyand easily applied to the ends ci cars or oiv A cerplatforms whereby the telcscoping of the cars in caseof collision orother accidents incident to their opi f eration is guarded against. l ,MA further object of thc invention is the provision of simple,inexpensive and efiicientineans for preventing the relative verticalmovement ot adjacent ends of cars,

in case-of collision or similar accident, and which is u sually theantecedent of destructive, disastrous, and irequentlyatal, telescopingof the cars.

. A further object is to provide means for resisting the relativevertical movements of theiadjacet ends of cars, in case o collision oraccident, but which leaves such ends free for vertical play in theordinary operation ofthe cars under normal conditions.

A further object is to provide means for resisting any tendency of thecars to turn over'sidewisc in case oi collision or other accident,without interfering with the ',-brdinary movements and vibrations of thecars while in jOperation under normal conditions.

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l Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter. n 4

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination,location and relative arrangement of parts, all as be more fullyhereinafter set forth,

as shown in theraccompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in theappended claims. A .Referring to the accompanying drawing, and tothevarious views and referencev sign appearing thereon:

Figure 1 is a broken view in top plan of a car platform l u showing theapplication thereto of anattachrnent embodying the principles of myinvention. Fig.4 2 is a -ront end view of thesame, 3 is abroken view insection on the lifne 3, 3,l'Fig. 41, looking in the direction of thearrows. v*'i'Fig. 4 is'a view similar to Fig. 3, on the 4line 4, 4, Fig.`2loolring in 'the direction of thc arrows.

. Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig; 2, the end broken off, showingslightly moditied forms of attachment emrbodying' the principles of myinvention. Fig. 7 vis a The same part is designated by thesamereeIenc'e' sign wherever it occurs throughout the several views- Incase of collision or other accident of street or railway cars or trains,causing thecnds oi the cars to be brought together with violent force,the danger is incurred of the cars telescoping the one upon the other,causing damage or destruction to the cars, andfire-` quently injury anddeath to the occupants othe cars. In order to avoid the destruction anddangerous effects of telescoping of the cars, it is a common practice toprovide the under framing of the car bodies with sills or beamsextending longitudinally. of the cars, so that the strain imposed by thecollision impact may be taken thereby, and, in the case of passengercars, the plat` 7U forms are constructed with a view to abut edgewiseagainst each other in case oi collision, to resist the telescopingtendency. Experience has shown, however, that the force of the impact ofthe cars in colliding, fre'- quently causes thev end of one or the otherci the cars to be moved vertically, upper dwn, a distance suicient torthe platforms to pass orto overlap the one upon or beneath the other, orthe endwisc extending sills or beams to be moved out of longitudinalalinement with cach other. This condition is also contributed to by thetruck wheels ci one 'or the other of` the cars leaving the track rails,or the tracks or axles becoming broken or smashed by the impact of `thecollision, thereby causing the end of the car to be lowered relativetothe proximate end ofthe adjacent car. In such cases, with 85 nothingto resist the force oi theimpact except the frail framing of the carvestibules, or of the ends of the csr. bodies, the ends of thc cars`climb theone upon the other, and crash into each other endwise, causingthe dangerous 'and 4dir-iastrous telescoping thereof. It has 90 beenproposed to avoid these results and effects by providing' the end ofeach car platformwith means to mechanically engage the proximateplatform of the adjacent car. Such method, however, is impractica-4 bleand objectionable for the reason that thereby the cars are not permittedto-move freely 'with relation to and' independentlyof each other, in`the natural and normal operation of the train, and it is essential thatthis i'ree independent movement of the cars vertically be provided for,and in turning sharp curves'the engag- 100 ing means, referred to,prevent the necessary flexibility of the train for relative lateralmovement of thc cars, or else they .become disengaged and hence are notat all times' effective for the accomplishment of their lobjects andpurposcs Moreover, by maintaining an cngagel ment between the adjacentplatforms of cars, which tend to resist the relative vertical play Toithe car ends `under the iniuenceoi the swaying movements o the car bodyoperating under normal conditions, the'constant strains of suchmovements of the one car, and the- 1.10 load imposed thereby, aredistributed to the platform' of the adjacent car,'thereby causing .thethereof v to be rapidly destroyed or injured. Again, in case ofcollision, it frequently happens that the force of impact,

even when' telescoping is avoided, causes the one car or the other tocareen sidewise in a tendency to turn over. i

t is among the special purposes oi my present invention to provide meanswhich are exceedingly simple and easily applied wherein the freevertical and side- Wise play of the cars in the normal operation thereofis not interfered With, but Which, in case of collision or otheraccident causing the ends of the ears tocome t0- gether forcibly, andcreating a tendency for the ends ofthe one car to slip or ridevertically past the adjacent end' of the other car, will cause-the endsof the cars, or ofthe ca-r platforms, yto become interlocked, therebynot only holding the carbody sills or platform ends in position 'toreceive and resist the force of the impact, and, hence, preventingtelescoping, but also resisting nany tendency of one or the other of thecars turning over sidewise.

In carrying out my invention I provide the ends of each car, or the endsof the car platforms, with a casting, forging, or plate, having bearingsurfaces against which yworks corresponding surfaces of a similarlyconstructed and arrangedkcasting, forging or plate, on the proximate end-of'the adjacent car or platform, in the norma-l operation of the cars,each casting, forging or plate, having recesses or seats and ribs o rprojections adapted to respectively receive or to be received incorresponding ribs or projections and seats or recesses in the adjacentcasting, forging or plate, in case of collision, when a s ufllcientrelative vertical displacement of the car ends occurs, whereby thecarends become interlocked and held and maintained in such'relativeflush w,ith the facing E, of the platform end. The nt` tachment isformed with the outwardly presenting ribs or. projections F, having theintermediate seats or recesses G. The outer surfaces H, of the ribs formvertical bearing surfaces against which Work the corresponding surfacesof the ribs or projections of the attachment on the end of the platformof the adjacent car, in the normal operation of the cars, leaving eachcar end free for vertical as well as sidevvise motion. In case ofcollision, however, and a consequent tendency of the ends of theplatforms to ride up over the other thereby carrying the surfaces `l-lout of alinernent, the ribs or projections F, of the one attachment areforced into the seats or recesses G, of thc` other, thereby causing theplatform ends to become interlocked, and hence maintaining suchplatforms in such relative positions as to re- .Ccive the force of thecollidinglinpact, and hence preventing the tolescoping of the cars,while at the saine time resisting the tendency of one or the other ofthe cars turning over sidewisc. The ribs or projections F, and the seatsor depressions G, extend longitudinally of the attachmenthand, ifdesired, and in lorder to facilitate sense? the entrance of the ribs orprojections into the seats or depressions, said ribs or projections maybe formed with anoutward taper, as shown. 'lhe castings, platos orforgings C, may be secured in place'in any suitable or convenientmanner, as, for instance, by bolts .lY

Instead ofthe ribsextending the entire length of the attachment, one ormore of them maybe interrupted as indicated at F, in Fig. 5, and F2, inFig. (l. l do vnot desire, therefore,-to be limited or restricted inthis respect, noris my invention to be limited or restricted to .thenunner of the ribs or projections, nor to their relative arrangement.For instance, in Figs. 2, 3, fi, o and 6, three rows of ribs and tworows of seats are cmployed, while in Fig. 7, four rows of ribs and threerows of seats or depressions are employed.

lt is obvious that my invention may be embodied in other forms andarrangements without departure from its spirit and scope, the essentialfeature being theI provision of castings, iorgings orplatcs on the endsof cars or car platforms which present vertically extending bearingsurfaces to each other in the normal L peration of the cars, permittingfree vertical and lateral play or movement of the cars, but having ribsand' seats or other engaging means adapted to interlock or engage witheach other in case of collision when there is any tendency of the endsof the cars or platforms to slide vertically upon each other a distancesufficient for the ribs or projections of one attachment to be broughtimo register with the seats or projections of the other opposedattachment, thereby holding the ends of the platforms, or thelongitudinally extending frame sills or beams, in alinement with eachother and hencel preucnting the telescopingof the ends of the cars, theone upon the other, at the same time resisting any tendency of the onecar or the other overturning sidewise.

In the case of freight or other cars which are unprovided withplatforms, safety attachments embodyingrl my invention may be readilyapplied to the ends of the deadwoods or bumpers with which the ends ofsuch cars are usually provided, as indicated at l, Fig. 8, or thecastings or forgings may themselves constitute and perform the functionof deadwoods or bumpers, being suitably secured to the end-sills orother convenient part of the carbody.

In using the term plate ll desire to include thereby a forging, castingor other suitable or convenient form of l plate.

, Having now set forth' thc object and nature of my invention andvariousforms and practical embodiments thereof, what l claim as new anduseful, and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isz-e 1. An attachment adapted to be secured tothe ond of o cui' or carplatform,` und having ribs or projections und i seats or depressions inthe outer suri'uce thereof, the ends of the ribs or projectionspresenting vertical hearing nprfaces.

2. An attachment adapted to be secured to the end of 'n ciii or carplatform, and having outwardly extending ribs or projections, andintermediate seats or recesses in the .outer surface thereof, the endsof the ribs or projections presenting vertical bearing surfaces, saidribs or projec-l ment adapted to be secured 'ln said recess, and havingribs und seats in the outer face thereof. l

5. The combination with a car and its platform, of an attachment adaptedto be secured to the end of said {Siatform, said attachment having ribsand seats fox-ined in the outer face thereof, the louter edges of theribs presenting vertical bearing surfaces.

6. An attachment edapted to b secured'to the end of a car or caplatform,and having ribs or projections and 5 seats or depressions formedtherein, said ribs or projections 10 ieing outivdiy tapering. i

In testimony whereof'l have signed my name to this speciiication, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses',v on this 6th day of December, A.D. 1906.

FRANK HEDLEY. l Witnesses:

ALMA DEL CASTRO, S. E. DAnuY.

